Joining motorways

[Huge]

Obey the law? Learn to drive?

If you can't see the "Give Way" line, either you're blind, you can't drive or you're a scofflaw (are you a cyclist?). You choose.

[Hugh - Was Invisible]

Can't say I've ever had a problem with motorway slip roads. Use the M25 and M11 regularly and used to use the M1 daily.

There used to be a very short and dangerous slip on to the south-west bound A12 from Witham south. It was recognised as a major problem and has now been completely changed.

The most dangerous times I find on motorways are when the non-motorway users are on them. I rate the M25 much safer in foul conditions than the M4/M5 on holiday weekends when there always seem to be serious accidents

[Adrian C]

.... someone drives up to an empty roundbout, and stops.

[Tim Streater]

Must be a Yank.

[Scion]

tony sayer spake thus:

Except if you took it literally you would not leave the house at all.

[dennis]

It is acceptable to use the hard shoulder when joining the motorway if some muppet has brought the joining traffic to a standstill.

[Plusnet]

On the other hand, so few drivers bother to indicate at all on roundabouts that I feel I should compliment those who do.

They usually get it wrong, but at least they made the attempt.

[grimly4]

What works for me... Match speeds, indicating all the while, then insert yourself into a judiciously judged gap that leaves just a touch more than a bumper between the cars. Keep your fingers crossed there's no emergency stopping up ahead. It's what the feckers expect you to do, so do it. Once you're in, you can joggle the gap to your satisfaction and the bloke behind will either accomodate or overtake.

On some parts of the m'way network the days of gentlemanly behaviour have long gone, so one must exhibit matching behaviour to fit in.

[Jules Richardson]

When it's really busy, occupy the side of the slip road closest to the traffic, match speed with the traffic, and aim for about 3/4 of a car- length ahead of where you want to end up - that seems to give people enough time to realise that you're going to pull in ahead of them no matter what, and they'll back off enough to create a gap for you to slide into.

Or... big pointy blades mounted on the wheels, like chariots used to have? :-)

cheers

Jules

[Jules Richardson]

No, it's the other way around in the US; they don't stop at roundabouts, even when there are vehicles already occupying them. And they don't use indicators. Ever. And they drive around them the wrong way, which is a most surreal experience the first time you have to do it. :-)

cheers

Jules

[Tim Streater]

Well at least they seem to be starting to have them, then. Those 4-way stops really burn my arse. Well, US stop signs in general do, especially when they are placed at random unnecessary places.

[dennis]

Maybe it was a yank in the Peugeot that tried to get me on the Carters Green island on Saturday?

[Dave Liquorice]

That's probably due to the panic of coming across a "traffic circle" instead of a plain ordinary cross roads with or without lights or the "4 way stop". A good few years back I came across a roundabout in Florida, never seen so many signs and instructions on how to use it. B-)

Agreed *very* loud alarm bells sounding off in your head. Mind you there are several roundabouts in the UK that you go the wrong way round as well, normal known as "magic roundabouts", I first came a cross the one in Swindon before I knew they existed. I think it's fair to say I richoceted out of it rather than negociated it, at least I didn't find the cul-de-sac. B-)

[Hugh - Was Invisible]

There has been one in Hemel Hempstead for 35 years or more. Known as the Magic Roundabout. Used to be signed as experimental roundabout except someone had scored out experi. Worked reasonable well during the week. More fun on Sundays when visitors were in the area who were completely bemused as one shot across. A quick look on Googlemaps suggest better markings than there used to be but they were getting worn at the time streetview was done.

[Jules Richardson]

I've found that the easiest way to deal with them when it's busy is to accelerate and get through the experience as quickly as possible ;) There aren't many - the nearest one that I've been on is close on 200 miles away.

:-) True - I seem to remember one somewhere in the UK... Hemel Hempstead, possibly... how anyone ever thought that was a good idea, I don't know.

cheers

Jules

[Jules Richardson]

Yes, they are a bit ridiculous... but I'm not sure what the alternative is in towns where it's all based on the block system and there's not really a natural 'main' route (and a mini-roundabout every few hundred yards would probably be just as disastrous :-)

Quite why they plaster stop signs everywhere in rural areas rather than using yield signs though, I'm not sure.

cheers

Jules

[Terry Casey]

I remember the first time I drove in Europe. After a fortnight of driving on the 'wrong' side of the road and the 'wrong' way round roundabouts, we returned to the UK.

Leaving Dover, I drove up the A2 to the roundabout at top of the hill.

My wife suddenly screamed "You're going the wrong way round the roundabout!"

I managed to keep my composure sufficiently to point out that, fortunately, so was everybody else!

She still gets confused every time we go away but has learnt to keep quiet about it ...!

The strange thing is, she is very good at pointing out any suggestion of me attempting to drive on the left while we are away - sometimes, particularly the first year or two we did it, with justification!

[grimly4]

A few years ago there was a particularly nasty head-on collision not too far from me, when a visiting Yank had pulled out of a narrow side road and adopted his habitual position on the road. You'd think the fact that he was driving a hire car with the steering wheel on the correct side for here would have been sufficient reminder, but no. He paid the price, as did the driver and passengers of the car he collided with.

[Hugh - Was Invisible]

Used to get the odd nasty head-on near US bases in Suffolk. When faced with oncoming lights instinct was to swerve right.

[The Medway Handyman]

Gripfill.